I have written a step by step post on this subject that I believe goodnatured has linked to.
One thing to check first.
Sometimes soft inquiries are showing for companies that just purchased soliciting lists from the credit reporting agency in order to offer you some kind of service or product. Then it would not actually be ID Theft you are dealing with but an OPT-IN problem.
You should obtain a report and activate a fraud alert, this will enable you to get a free credit report by mail. The mailed out reports have customer service phone numbers for you to call in and speak with someone. You need to ask them what the inquiry is classified as.
If you find that these are in fast opt-in inquiries you can later cancel the fraud alert.
Ok, more about opt-in - if this is the case, these companies didn't actually receive a copy of your credit report. But they will pull a hard inquiry (credit report) if they send you an application and you fill it out and mail it back. The first time these companies show an inquiry they just got your name, mailing address, and maybe a viewing of your current credit score. And they might have asked if you were a home owner, auto loan holder or some sort like that.
You can find the opt-out information in my ID Theft post.
You immediately need to set a fraud alert on your accounts. Contact your creditors and the credit bureaus and talk to them about this. If you report within 2 days of the identity theft incident then the losses can get limited to $50 by the credit card companies. You nee to close all your accounts and reopen them with new names and account numbers. For more details you can refer http://www.creditmagic.org/blog/2009/10/22/fight-idtheft/ .
You will want to contact each of the three credit reporting agencies and put an alert on your credit report.
You need to file a police report and have an investigation started to figure out who is doing this to you.
Found an awesome post to help you out. Go to
http://www.creditmagic.org/repair/idtheft-information.html
I have written a step by step post on this subject that I believe goodnatured has linked to.
One thing to check first.
Sometimes soft inquiries are showing for companies that just purchased soliciting lists from the credit reporting agency in order to offer you some kind of service or product. Then it would not actually be ID Theft you are dealing with but an OPT-IN problem.
You should obtain a report and activate a fraud alert, this will enable you to get a free credit report by mail. The mailed out reports have customer service phone numbers for you to call in and speak with someone. You need to ask them what the inquiry is classified as.
If you find that these are in fast opt-in inquiries you can later cancel the fraud alert.
Ok, more about opt-in - if this is the case, these companies didn't actually receive a copy of your credit report. But they will pull a hard inquiry (credit report) if they send you an application and you fill it out and mail it back. The first time these companies show an inquiry they just got your name, mailing address, and maybe a viewing of your current credit score. And they might have asked if you were a home owner, auto loan holder or some sort like that.
You can find the opt-out information in my ID Theft post.
Thanks, Pammila
dealing with identity theft
Hi Dora,
You immediately need to set a fraud alert on your accounts. Contact your creditors and the credit bureaus and talk to them about this. If you report within 2 days of the identity theft incident then the losses can get limited to $50 by the credit card companies. You nee to close all your accounts and reopen them with new names and account numbers. For more details you can refer http://www.creditmagic.org/blog/2009/10/22/fight-idtheft/ .
Hope this helps.
Regards,
Aaron